The present invention relates to hermetic terminal assemblies and more particularly to structure for hermetic terminal assemblies which allow for a more durable hermetic terminal assembly.
In the hermetic terminal assembly art, a number of construction arrangements have been utilized to prevent conductive pins, which pins serve to conduct current to isolated drive sources such as drive motors, disposed in hermetically sealed compressor housing shells, from electrically shorting to surrounding electrically conductive areas such as the aforementioned housing shells of compressors. These past arrangements have included surrounding conductive pins with insulated over-surface collars or sleeves, such as the insulating extended sleeve arrangement 23 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,433, issued to B. Bowsky, et al. on Apr. 22, 1986 and the sleeve arrangement 17 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,015, issued to F. Dieter Paterek, et al. On Nov. 28, 1995. These two aforementioned patents were further concerned with conductive pin fusing and with pin design, respectively, attention being particularly directed to the aperture 36 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,003, issued to B. Bowsky et al. on Apr. 1, 1986 and to aperture 38 of flattened neck portion 37 of pin 17 above in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,333, issued to B. Bowsky et. al. on Apr. 22, 1986, and to the relative coefficients of expansion and softening point temperatures in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,015, issued to F. D. Paterek et. al. on Nov. 28, 1995.
In the present invention, an insulated disk member of select material provides the desirable over-surface construction, this disk member being held in fast position through a unique retention arrangement cooperative with the pin construction. In combination with the novel over-surface disk member, the present invention provides a unique, readily regulatable fuse-like pin construction. The arrangement set forth herein also is straightforward and economical in manufacture, assembly and maintenance, requiring a minimum of operating steps and parts in manufacture, assembly and maintenance.
Various other features of the present invention will become obvious to one skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth herein.
More particularly the present invention provides an arc resistant hermetic terminal assembly. The arc resistant terminal assembly includes a body having a bottom portion with an inner surface and a boundary portion with an inner surface. The boundary portion extends from a periphery of the bottom portion and the inner surfaces of the bottom and boundary portions define an interior of the body. The bottom portion has at least one opening extending therethrough. A current conducting pin extends through each of the at least one opening in the bottom portion. An electrical-arc-resisting member faces the inner surfaces of the bottom and boundary portions. The arc-resisting member resists electrical arcing within the interior between the pin and a portion of the body that is protected by the arc-resisting member. There is also an insulating pin seal that extends between and seals a periphery of the current conducting pin to a periphery of the at least one opening in the bottom portion.
The present invention also discloses a high-pressure hermetic terminal assembly. The high-pressure hermetic terminal assembly includes a body having a bottom portion with an inner surface and a boundary portion with an inner surface. The boundary portion extends from a periphery of the bottom portion and the inner surfaces of the bottom and boundary portions define an interior of the body. The bottom portion has at least one opening extending therethrough. A current conducting pin extends through each of the at least one opening in the bottom portion. A support member is attached to at least the inner surface of the bottom portion. The support member increases an effective modulus of elasticity of the bottom portion so that the body with the support member can withstand higher pressure than the body without the support member. There is also an insulating pin seal that extends between and seals a periphery of the current conducting pin to a periphery of the at least one opening in the bottom portion.
In addition, the present invention also discloses a chemically-resistant hermetic terminal assembly. The chemically-resistant hermetic terminal assembly includes a body having a bottom portion with an inner surface and a boundary portion with an inner surface. The boundary portion extends from a periphery of the bottom portion and the inner surfaces of the bottom and boundary portions define an interior of the body. The bottom portion has at least one opening extending therethrough. A current conducting pin extends through each of the at least one opening in the bottom portion. A chemically-resistant member covers a portion of at least one of the inner surface of the bottom portion and the inner surface of the boundary portion. The chemically-resistant member prevents dynamic contact between a fluid within the interior and the portion of the inner surfaces covered by the chemically-resistant member. There is also an insulating pin seal that extends between and seals a periphery of the current conducting pin to a periphery of the at least one opening in the bottom portion.
It is to be understood that various changes can be made by one skilled in the art in one or more of the several parts of the novel structural assembly disclosed herein without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.